Cartridge-belt container



1. 's. PEOPLES.

CARTRIDGE BELT CONTAINER. APPLICATION FILED Amp. 1918.

1,49 ,95 Patented Feb. 14, 1922.,

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. S. PEOPLES.-

CARTRIDGE-BELT CONTAiNER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-6.1918- 1,406,954 Patented'Feb. 14, 1922;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- .i'OHN'S. PEorLEs, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO NEWTON D.

' BAKER, SECRETARY or WAR, TRUSTEE.

CARTRIDGE-BELT 001d TAIN ER.

ao-ease.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 14 1922,

Application filed August 6, 1918. Serial No. 248,645.

I used by the Government, or any of its officers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment of any royalty thereon.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in cartridge belt containers and has for its object to provide a container that may bequickly and readily attached to the bracket of a tripod of a machine gun.

Another object of my invention is to provide a container wherein the cartridge belt is placed in a rolled condition and means are provided for facilitating the correct and regular feeding of the cartridges to the machine gun. 25 I Another object of my invention is to pro vide a strip preferably formed of metal on whichthe cartridge belt is first placed in its unwound or flat condition so that when the cartridge belt is ready to be placed in the container, the strip of metal will, of course, be interspersed between the folds of the cartriage belt.

Another object of my invention is to so form this strip that on one side a metal tooth will extend directly behind the rear face of each cartridge, and on the opposite side of "the'said strip is formed a series of teeth but 'sothatthe noseof each cartridge will he between the same. i

Another object of myinvention is to provide a container that may be formed with integral wing clips that may be forced rear wardly when the container is to be fastened to the t'ripod;or to form a separate bracket thatmay be used with the container that may be quickly and readily slipped over the bracket armon the tripod.

Another object of my invention is to provide ineans for preventingdisengagement or loss'of'a cartridge from the belt,'as it is well known'that if the trig'gerof the machine gun comes opposite ablank space it may cause the gun to jam.

NViththe se and other objects in View my invention consists of certain new and novel constructions and combination of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings forming a part hereof Fig. 1 is a side "elevation of my improved cartridge belt container with a portion thereof broken away showing the coiled cartridge belt and spacing means contained therein;

Fig. 2 is a'fragmentary View of the spacing means showing a portion of the car tridge belt with a few cartridges contained therein Fig. 3 is a side elevation showingthe co ntainer secured to the bracket with the upper portion of said container removed;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the container as secured to the bracket, the upper portion thereof removed;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary viewshowing one side of the spacing means and the cartridges placed therein;

Fig. '6 shows a modified form of the bracket and container;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the bracket the dotted line showing how thesame is removed Fig. 8 is an end View thereof;and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary View of one of the arms of bracket but in a reversed position for the sake ofcle'arness.

Referring now to the drawings and to the preferred form shown in Figs. 1 to 5 it will be seen that the container proper consists of a "bottom portion 1 and upper portion 2,the

bottom portion 1 being slightly reduced at 8 "so that the upper portion 2 may fit snugly over the same. The container is preferably round in cros's-section'and the width of the container is slightly greater than thelength of the cartridges 4 which are to be carried in. said container. Secured to the lower portion 1 of the said container are metal arms 5 that'are bent slightly outwardly as at 6 which arms may be fastened by the rivets '7 'or any other preferable means.

These arms 5 are preferably made of some flexible metal so that the same may be bent rearwardly'to'extend in the position shown in F ig. 3. I

Formed on the other ends of the arms are the lug portions '8 which are provided for the purpose of engaging the bracket 9 (shown in dotted lines in Figures'ii and 4) V on the cradle tif'the machine gun tripod.

A strip of metal 10 is secured to the in ner edge of the lower portion of container 1 which is adapted to extend into the upper portion 2 of the container when the parts are assembled and which strip 10 is adapted to be folded upwardly and downwardly when the cartridges are to be fed to the machine gun. This strip of metal prevents the gun from chattering.

Referring now to the spacing means as shown in Figs, 1, 2, 55 and 5 it will be seen that a metal strip 11 is used that is slightly greater in width than the ordinary cartridge belt- 12 and is preferably formed. on a'thin flexible strip of metal and having its opposite edges bent upwardly for a slight distance. These edges are then serrated, the serrations on the one edge 13 being so formed that a tooth 14 will come directly behind the rear face 15, of each cartridge. The serra tions on the edge 16 are so arranged with regard to cartridges that the nose of the same will fit within the apertures between the teeth 17 so that when the cartridge is placed. in the belt and the belt in turn is placed in the spacing means the teeth on one side of the spacing means 11 will come directly behind the rear faces of the cartridges while the nose of the bullet will lie snugly between the teeth 17.

By using this spacing means, when the cartridge belt is fed from the container to the machine gun the distribution of the cartridges will be in an even manner, and the cartridges held tightly in their correct spaced relation and prevented from slipping from the cartridge belt which is greatly desired for if a blank is fed into the gun the same will jam.

Referring to the modified form of container and bracket as shown in Figures 6 to 9 inclusive it will be understood that this container 18 is similar in most respects to the container shown in Fig. l but in this form a bracket is used having integral arms.

,This bracket 19 is preferably U shaped in form and has hooked portions 20 formed on the open ends of the arms, which hooked portions are adapted to be slipped over a bracket 21 which is always formed on the machine gun tripod.

A bolt 22 is provided which has a square portion near its head 23 which fits within a square opening 24 formed in one of the arms and the other of said arms is provided with a slotted portion 25 so that the bolt may be quickly removed when desired, and by having the square head fitted within said openit, of course, is prevented from turning ing into sald when the container is forced bracket. 7

A strip 26 (Fig. 1) is provided that has a handle 27 atone end, which strip may be attached to both portions of the container so that the halves of said container will not their correct position in the cartridge belt and will be prevented from being accidentally removed therefrom.

Having thus described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A cartridge container comprising upper and lower sect-ions, arms for supporting the said container, said arms adapted to be placed over a bracket and means secured to the inner surface of the lower portion of said container adapted to be forced outwardly to facilitate the removal of a cartridge belt from said container.

2. A cartridge container comprising upper and lower sections, in combination with bracket arms to support the container, said arms provided with engaging hooks on their outer ends, and adapted to be passed over a bracket on a gun tripod, a metal strap secured to the inner surface of the lower section of said container and adapted to be swung outwardly to, facilitate the smooth withdrawing action of a cartridge belt to be carried in said container.

3. A cartridge containercomprising two sections and a metal strap secured in one section and adapted to be folded outwardly to provide a rest for a cartridge belt adapted to be carried in said container, arms for supporting said container, the outer ends of said arms having a hooked portion adapted to co-operate with a bracket on a gun tripod.

4. A cartridge container comprising upper and lower sections, arms secured to the opposite sides of lower section of said container and spaced from and extending parallel with said sides, the outer ends of said arms formed for detachable engagement with a bracket on a gun tripod for supporting said container.

5. A cartridge container comprising two sections and means secured in one section and adapted to be folded outwardly to provide a rest for a cartridge belt carried in said container.

6. A cartridge container comprising upper and lower sections and means secured to the inner surface of the lower section adapted to be forced outwardly to facilitate the removal of a cartridge belt from said container.

JOHN S. PEOPLES.

Ill 

